7 ms·

I'm stupid in this way, too.

giantg2 6y ago
How's your career? Did this have an impact? Mine is ruined and this might have contributed a little. I'll never be more than an intermediate developer and I'm worried about being fired/laid off.
- castlecrasher2 6y ago
  >I'll never be more than an intermediate developer Do you mean this at your specific company? I felt the same way in my last company because there was definitely nowhere to go up, but I've since moved on and am in a more senior role.
  - giantg2 6y ago
    I'm in my 30 with a family and find that I am much slower at learning new stacks now. I was a FileNet developer and then a Neoxam developer. There aren't many opportunities for me. I'm also just tired of the bullshit and and mind games that management plays. My current plan is to gamble in the stock market and 'retire' whenever I can't take it anymore or get fired. I would love to retire to run a small farm and/or work a retail job like Lowes.
    - PopeDotNinja 6y ago
      Wanna go 50%/50% on a farm? We can be nerd neighbors.
      - giantg2 6y ago
        Haha sure. I'll need to at least triple my money before I can even think about this as more than a dream.
    - perl4ever 6y ago
      If you don't like the industry you're in, programming culture, or the software stack you're used to, one way to break out of it is to get a low level office job in the sort of place you want to work and figure out how to solve problems with technology among people who don't normally have developers at their beck and call. This is also, I think, how you find a job that is very stable and secure - focusing first and foremost on something other than technology until they can't imagine hiring someone off the street to replace you who doesn't know the business.
      - giantg2 6y ago
        Thanks! I've sort of considered moving into a business role and becoming a business analyst. Seems like a huge pay cut (that I can't afford) and years of wasted effort. I actually have a business administration minor and trade options and equities, so I have a better understanding of finance and the business than most people I work with in IT. I work for a large financial company and my previous team was amazed that I passed my CFA Foundations class without studying (it's not difficult like the CFA level 2 or anything). Maybe I'll reconsider becoming a business person.
        brabel 6y ago
        With a knowledge of finance and software development, you should be able to choose jobs that use both but focus on either... I would expect such jobs to pay extremely well and there to be plenty of them, even if your current skills are a bit rusty!?! Maybe you're just overly reluctant to start looking for other jobs?
        giantg2 6y ago
        I've been browsing jobs for the month or two. I also browsed jobs when I was in my previous position. I'm not finding many jobs that fit my experience/skills. I don't have any financial licenses or experience. I have a minor in business admin, but that doesn't mean much on a resume. So hardcore financial jobs aren't really an option. A tech job in a financial field could be good though. The problem I'm finding with tech jobs is that they want an expert in a given technology. I have experience in Neoxam and FileNet, which are not very common. I would have to take an entry level job, but I'm just able to support my family now (with the hope of one day being able to retire). I'm also finding it much more difficult to learn new stacks as I'm getting older.
- t-writescode 6y ago
  Don’t believe that about yourself for a second. I regularly scored low marks at a previous company of mine; and, even during one review, I got a ‘you improved a lot! But your coworkers improved even more, so you’re getting a [low rank] again.’ I’ve since moved on to different positions at different companies and am doing plenty fine. I’m even the senior member on a new team I’m joining now. A few bad years or even many bad years don’t end your career :)
  - giantg2 6y ago
    I once had a manager give me an FDN rating and when I asked what I can do to improve she told me "just keep doing what you're doing".
    - opportune 6y ago
      I’ve been told this several times when I’ve asked what I could do to get a higher rating or promotion. It always meant that there was some tenure element to the rankings. I think from the manager’s perspective they are being both honest and reassuring, but from the report’s perspective, it’s very frustrating knowing your progress is being limited, and hard work wasted, due to some bureaucratic limitation. And knowing that in practice it’s possible for exceptions to be made and it’s possible your manager isn’t advocating strongly enough for you.
      - giantg2 6y ago
        At my company it wasn't a tenure thing, although I think that played an informal role as to why I was picked vs someone else. When a manager picks someone for the highest rating some departments require the manager to also pick someone as an FDN to "balance it out". In this case I know the guy that got the high rating. As weird as it is to say, and even when the wound was fresh, I was/am happy for him and he deserved it. He's a nice guy and he had nothing to do with the rating I recieved. He's now a manager several levels up.
        opportune 6y ago
- gowld 6y ago
  Why are you worried about being fired? If you are underpaid for your work, your manager is happy to have you.
  - giantg2 6y ago
    I recently switched stacks and I'm not coming up to speed as fast as they would like. I'm also becoming demoralized after being looked over or screwed over for about 4 years.
- IggleSniggle 6y ago
  Not that poster, but in my personal experience praising others is good to match with humble by noisy comments about the work you are doing. Whether this works or not depends if you have any psychopathic coworkers, which isn't something you can really know very easily. I also don't think the actions of others really define whether or not you are "intermediate," unless you're only talking about some corporate ladder bullshit.
shahbaby 6y ago
I used to be this stupid too but then I learned that it's better to just play their game, win and then move on, no point in fighting it, just think of it as another part of the job.
- allenu 6y ago
  This is what I do now after trying and failing at "doing my best work and hoping to get recognized". I'm bad at communicating when I've worked on something challenging, so now I realize I should never give more effort than can be noticed. You may think that's cynical, but this is a business and I'm paid not on what I actually do but what the business perceives me of doing.
  - giantg2 6y ago
    Thanks! I might look into trying that mindset.
    - jupyternonuser 6y ago
      In another comment you say you find the lying and mindgames to be morally offensive. How do you not find this morally offensive as well?
      - giantg2 6y ago
        I read this as not giving any extra effort, which I think would help reduce the reliance of my self image on my work success. I wouldn't be lying and I wouldn't be playing head games.
- giantg2 6y ago
  I want to, but I find the lying and mind games to be morally offensive, especially when they can have such a large impact on a person's wellbeing.
  - amznthrowaway5 6y ago

How's your career? Did this have an impact? Mine is ruined and this might have contributed a little. I'll never be more than an intermediate developer and I'm worried about being fired/laid off.

castlecrasher2 6y ago
>I'll never be more than an intermediate developer Do you mean this at your specific company? I felt the same way in my last company because there was definitely nowhere to go up, but I've since moved on and am in a more senior role.
- giantg2 6y ago
  I'm in my 30 with a family and find that I am much slower at learning new stacks now. I was a FileNet developer and then a Neoxam developer. There aren't many opportunities for me. I'm also just tired of the bullshit and and mind games that management plays. My current plan is to gamble in the stock market and 'retire' whenever I can't take it anymore or get fired. I would love to retire to run a small farm and/or work a retail job like Lowes.
  - PopeDotNinja 6y ago
    Wanna go 50%/50% on a farm? We can be nerd neighbors.
    - giantg2 6y ago
      Haha sure. I'll need to at least triple my money before I can even think about this as more than a dream.
  - perl4ever 6y ago
    If you don't like the industry you're in, programming culture, or the software stack you're used to, one way to break out of it is to get a low level office job in the sort of place you want to work and figure out how to solve problems with technology among people who don't normally have developers at their beck and call. This is also, I think, how you find a job that is very stable and secure - focusing first and foremost on something other than technology until they can't imagine hiring someone off the street to replace you who doesn't know the business.
    - giantg2 6y ago
      Thanks! I've sort of considered moving into a business role and becoming a business analyst. Seems like a huge pay cut (that I can't afford) and years of wasted effort. I actually have a business administration minor and trade options and equities, so I have a better understanding of finance and the business than most people I work with in IT. I work for a large financial company and my previous team was amazed that I passed my CFA Foundations class without studying (it's not difficult like the CFA level 2 or anything). Maybe I'll reconsider becoming a business person.
      - brabel 6y ago
        With a knowledge of finance and software development, you should be able to choose jobs that use both but focus on either... I would expect such jobs to pay extremely well and there to be plenty of them, even if your current skills are a bit rusty!?! Maybe you're just overly reluctant to start looking for other jobs?
        giantg2 6y ago
        I've been browsing jobs for the month or two. I also browsed jobs when I was in my previous position. I'm not finding many jobs that fit my experience/skills. I don't have any financial licenses or experience. I have a minor in business admin, but that doesn't mean much on a resume. So hardcore financial jobs aren't really an option. A tech job in a financial field could be good though. The problem I'm finding with tech jobs is that they want an expert in a given technology. I have experience in Neoxam and FileNet, which are not very common. I would have to take an entry level job, but I'm just able to support my family now (with the hope of one day being able to retire). I'm also finding it much more difficult to learn new stacks as I'm getting older.
t-writescode 6y ago
Don’t believe that about yourself for a second. I regularly scored low marks at a previous company of mine; and, even during one review, I got a ‘you improved a lot! But your coworkers improved even more, so you’re getting a [low rank] again.’ I’ve since moved on to different positions at different companies and am doing plenty fine. I’m even the senior member on a new team I’m joining now. A few bad years or even many bad years don’t end your career :)
- giantg2 6y ago
  I once had a manager give me an FDN rating and when I asked what I can do to improve she told me "just keep doing what you're doing".
  - opportune 6y ago
    I’ve been told this several times when I’ve asked what I could do to get a higher rating or promotion. It always meant that there was some tenure element to the rankings. I think from the manager’s perspective they are being both honest and reassuring, but from the report’s perspective, it’s very frustrating knowing your progress is being limited, and hard work wasted, due to some bureaucratic limitation. And knowing that in practice it’s possible for exceptions to be made and it’s possible your manager isn’t advocating strongly enough for you.
    - giantg2 6y ago
      At my company it wasn't a tenure thing, although I think that played an informal role as to why I was picked vs someone else. When a manager picks someone for the highest rating some departments require the manager to also pick someone as an FDN to "balance it out". In this case I know the guy that got the high rating. As weird as it is to say, and even when the wound was fresh, I was/am happy for him and he deserved it. He's a nice guy and he had nothing to do with the rating I recieved. He's now a manager several levels up.
      - opportune 6y ago
gowld 6y ago
Why are you worried about being fired? If you are underpaid for your work, your manager is happy to have you.
- giantg2 6y ago
  I recently switched stacks and I'm not coming up to speed as fast as they would like. I'm also becoming demoralized after being looked over or screwed over for about 4 years.
IggleSniggle 6y ago
Not that poster, but in my personal experience praising others is good to match with humble by noisy comments about the work you are doing. Whether this works or not depends if you have any psychopathic coworkers, which isn't something you can really know very easily. I also don't think the actions of others really define whether or not you are "intermediate," unless you're only talking about some corporate ladder bullshit.

shahbaby 6y ago

I used to be this stupid too but then I learned that it's better to just play their game, win and then move on, no point in fighting it, just think of it as another part of the job.

allenu 6y ago
This is what I do now after trying and failing at "doing my best work and hoping to get recognized". I'm bad at communicating when I've worked on something challenging, so now I realize I should never give more effort than can be noticed. You may think that's cynical, but this is a business and I'm paid not on what I actually do but what the business perceives me of doing.
- giantg2 6y ago
  Thanks! I might look into trying that mindset.
  - jupyternonuser 6y ago
    In another comment you say you find the lying and mindgames to be morally offensive. How do you not find this morally offensive as well?
    - giantg2 6y ago
      I read this as not giving any extra effort, which I think would help reduce the reliance of my self image on my work success. I wouldn't be lying and I wouldn't be playing head games.
giantg2 6y ago
I want to, but I find the lying and mind games to be morally offensive, especially when they can have such a large impact on a person's wellbeing.
- amznthrowaway5 6y ago